After six seasons of sexual tension and House’s ever-so-crude attempts at flirtation, he and Cuddy have finally given in and are giving the relationship thing a whirl. But after witnessing Huddy finally share a passionate kiss at the end of last season’s finale of House, you can’t help but wonder, „Where do we go from here?”

„We’re going to play it through,” says executive producer Katie Jacobs, who adds that the time finally felt right to explore the relationship. „It felt wrong that things would have aligned perfectly and Cuddy would have been there [waiting for House] … She was on the verge of marriage. And looking that in the face made her think, ‚I’m not sure I can go through with this without knowing the answer as to whether or not I can make it work with House.'”

In Monday’s premiere (8/7c on Fox) — aptly titled „Now What?” — things pick up right where we left off. But rather than jump right back into the halls of Princeton-Plainsboro, House (Hugh Laurie) and Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) spend some time together sifting through their feelings and figuring out if they can make this relationship work.

Among the questions or challenges the couple will face: House’s attempt at fatherhood and the impact of their romance on their working relationship.

„Are people going to treat them differently because they are a couple now?” says Jacobs. „And because they’re openly in love, is Cuddy going to say yes more often [to House] or try to prove to herself that she is not favoring him and say no more often?”

One thing Jacobs can assure fans: House and Cuddy will remain the same characters fans grown to know.

„It’s not that Cuddy thinks she’s going to somehow change him. She knows how House is. She just wants to wants to try to be with a man who continues to take her breath away,” she says. „They’re together. They are who they are, which I think is more real. So I’m hopeful [viewers] won’t be disappointed because the characters essentially have not changed.”